


Blood and Mercury

by bluerosekatie



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie) Compliant, Awesome Wanda Maximoff, Canon Compliant, Gen, Good Sibling Pietro Maximoff, Hurt Pietro Maximoff, Hurt/Comfort, No Wandavision Spoilers, POV Wanda Maximoff, Partial Mind Control, Pre-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Seizures, Sibling Bonding, Siblings, Sort Of, Telekinesis, Telepathic Wanda Maximoff, Telepathy, Wandavision Reference, Whump, how to tag?, unless you count the reference but it's not a huge one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-18
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-13 16:13:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29528997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluerosekatie/pseuds/bluerosekatie
Summary: Just because Wanda and Pietro were the only ones who survived the Hydra experiments using the Mind Stone doesn't mean there weren't bumps in the road.  There's a minor Wandavision reference in here but it shouldn't be spoilery for anyone who hasn't seen it.  Bonus trivia: this was originally named Speed Seizure but I decided that name didn't fit well.
Relationships: Pietro Maximoff & Wanda Maximoff
Kudos: 30





	Blood and Mercury

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Wanda and Pietro: Headcanon Collection](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29325909) by [bluerosekatie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluerosekatie/pseuds/bluerosekatie). 



Thump. Thump. Thump.

Wanda sat up on her bunk, startled. Wispy threads of red energy emerged from her hands, but she forced them back when she realized what the sound was. _It’s happening again._

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

She pulled her knees into her chest and closed her eyes. The buzz of nearby thoughts surrounded her and sharpened as she focused on the cell next to hers.

_Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump._

_Pietro,_ she mentally called.

No answer. The noise grew louder and faster. _Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump._

 _Pietro!_ She stretched her thoughts into her brother’s mind and hit a wall of panic and pain.

 _Thumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthump._ Wanda was lost in it - pain like a thousand needles in each of his nerves.

 _I’m here,_ she called. _I’m here._

There was no outward response, and his thrashing grew worse. The cell rattled like a can of dried beans.

 _Wanda,_ he thought with effort. _I can’t stop it._

 _Yes you can,_ she replied. _I know you can._

 _Help me,_ he thought to her. But underneath rushed another blast of fear and panic.

She opened her eyes and looked carefully out. No one was watching them - not even to check for any new reactions to the experiments. _Like they ever had a clue what they were doing to us._

Wanda slid up against the wall beside her and pictured Pietro’s cell. Like hers, it was sparsely decorated, metal, with a small bunk and thin blankets. She knew his bunk would be on the opposite side of the wall - not right next to hers, but bolted to the other wall.

She closed her eyes again. This time, she let the scarlet threads grow and creep through the wall, and used her telepathy to guide them until they’d encircled Pietro.

_Here. I’ll hold you still. We need to get you calm again,_ she told him.

Pietro shuddered, a bit slower than before, but still thrashing against his bunk. Wanda shaped her threads and used them to lift him slightly off the bunk, just enough to keep him from hitting the walls and hard mattress.

His pain was not so bad anymore. Now it was more like a hundred needles per nerve, and he was less panicked. _Okay,_ Wanda thought. She carefully pushed further into his mind, nudging it so he took a deep breath.

She could hear his exhale even from her cell.

_Keep breathing,_ she told him.

_Yes,_ he thought. _I will - not planning on stopping soon._

Wanda smiled. _That’s right._ She cradled Pietro with the scarlet wisps and kept him from hitting the walls again.

_Do you think you can slow it now?_

_Maybe,_ he thought. His uncertainty swirled around. Flashes of effort and spikes of pain punctuated the attempt, and Wanda winced each time he tried. _I wish they’d let us stay closer together._

Wanda grimaced. _Don’t let them know that._

_Why? Wouldn’t we be more powerful together?_ His disgust made her stomach churn too. _That’s the only thing they’re thinking of now._

_We would be,_ Wanda said. _But we’d be too powerful for them._

_Sure. You and your wiggly-woos and me with too much speed for any one person._

Pietro struck the walls a few more times, harder than before.

_You’ve got to calm down. Hold still for me._

_I’m trying,_ he thought.

She made him take a few more breaths. Each one lasted a shuddery, long second -- _a good sign. You’re slowing down again,_ she told him.

His mind warmed with dull amusement. _Not likely. I think I’m stuck with this - at least the speed part. Hopefully not the thrashing._

Wanda laughed. One of the Hydra soldiers looked over at the cells.

_They’re suspicious. I don’t think they know I can reach you from here,_ she said.

_Put me down,_ he said.

_But--_

_Put me down. He’s going to see what’s happening._

Wanda withdrew the energy, slowly lowering Pietro to the bunk.

_Are you all right?_

His mind shrunk away from hers.

She tilted her head and frowned. _Don’t make me control you to stop this._

_Why not? I haven’t been able to stop it on my own._ Pietro’s mind and pain spiked at her again.

_It’s not worth the risk. You know what’s happened to the people they have me try it on._

_So? You know me better. You’ll be able to do it._ The confidence behind his statement itched at her defenses.

_Stick with the deep breaths,_ she thought.

The cell wall beside her shuddered with the force of Pietro’s uncontrolled speed.

Wanda huffed and slid a few inches forward on her bunk. _I’m not going to risk driving you insane. We’re the only people in Sokovia who will be able to fight back._

He tried to slow himself again, only to receive another spike of pain throughout his body.

_You need to breathe._

_Working on it,_ Pietro thought wryly.

Wanda sighed, pushed her mind back into his, and nudged for him to breathe deeply. His cell echoed with another sharp breath.

_So you’ll make me breathe, but you won’t make me slow down._

_Yeah? If I make you slow down, I could hurt you even more. As I said before._

Pietro sat up, and another hard wall of pain closed in.

_Can’t you just hold still? It’ll stop if you do, at least I think it will._ Wanda used a stream of red energy to shove him back down.

Pietro laughed, gritted his teeth, and sat up. _I’m fine,_ he insisted.

Wanda smiled and leaned against the cell wall. His pain had reduced to a tiny fraction of what it had been. Now it only felt like a minor muscle cramp throughout his body.

_You’re good,_ she said. _I told you you could do it._

 _I guess you were right,_ Pietro thought. Before she realized it, he had flashed to the front of his cell and peeked through the bars.

Wanda moved to the front of hers, trying to catch a glimpse of his face. It was bruised, and his silvery hair was slick with sweat, but he was still smiling.

_We’re getting stronger. Together,_ she thought, then withdrew her mind from his.


End file.
